The Rock aka Dwayne Johnson

Professional wrestlers have a long history of tackling the silver screen once they’ve conquered the squared circle, but for every The Expendables starring “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, there’s a Mr. Nanny starring Hulk Hogan. That’s why the unprecedented success of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson -- seven-time-WWE-champion-turned-movie-star -- comes as a shock to many. Films like The Scorpion King, Walking Tall and The Rundown helped brand Johnson as the world’s next great action star, and he hasn’t disappointed. With his latest film Fast Five, the fifth installment in The Fast and the Furious franchise, set to scorch the box office this summer and an unprecedented return to the WWE, we finally smell what The Rock is cooking -- a pretty successful career.

Appeal

If you’re of the female persuasion, there’s very little not to like about Dwayne Johnson. So instead of dissecting his perfectly sculpted body, his movie-star smile, his million-dollar fortune, and his unparalleled athletic ability, let’s examine his flaws. For one, he’s divorced, and probably has commitment issues for fear of getting his heart broken a second time. Secondly, we hear he puts way too much milk in his coffee. Ew! Lastly, if you call out his name, he may assume you’re talking about the 1996 action film starring Nicolas Cage and ignore you as a result. So annoying, right?

Success

By the time Dwayne Johnson starred in 2002’s The Scorpion King -- his first leading role in a major Hollywood picture -- he had accomplished more than any other wrestler in the history of the WWE. As arrogant agitator The Rock, Johnson became one of the most popular champions of all time, winning the belt a record seven times while coining catchphrases that transcended the sport. But with a surplus of charisma and movie-star looks, it was only a matter of time before Johnson left the ring for the bright lights of Hollywood.

After The Scorpion King grossed over $165 million at the worldwide box office, Johnson was everyone’s pick to succeed Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger as Hollywood’s next great action star. But after a string of flops, Johnson relied on family comedies like The Game Plan, Race to Witch Mountain, and Tooth Fairy to lift his sagging career. This summer marks a return to Johnson’s roots, as he’s set to appear in Fast Five, the fifth installment in The Fast and the Furious franchise, while reclaiming his place atop the wrestling world as The Rock. Finally, Dwayne Johnson has taken his own advice: He knows his role.

The Rock aka Dwayne Johnson Biography

Dwayne Johnson’s ascension to the top of the pro-wrestling world wasn’t a fluke. It wasn’t a product of hard work either (OK, maybe a little). It was destiny. The son of legendary wrestler Rocky Johnson and grandson to fellow legend Peter Maivia, it was only a matter of time before Johnson joined the family business (his uncles and cousins are also wrestlers, but Johnson is of Samoan descent, a people known for their football skills). So when Johnson moved to Pennsylvania, he began playing football at Freedom High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The talented left tackle accepted a full scholarship from the University of Miami to play Division 1 football. After graduating college with a Bachelor of Science in criminology and physiology, Johnson briefly pursued a football career, but was cut after just two months by the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders.

Dwayne Johnson Begins His Pro Wrestling Career

When Dwayne Johnson told his father that he wanted to become a wrestler, he was met with reluctance. But father eventually agreed to train son, and what a job he did. After being snatched up by theUnited States Wrestling Association, Johnson impressed enough to join World Wrestling Entertainment (then called the World Wrestling Federation) as Rocky Maivia, a combination of his father’s and grandfather’s names. After only three months with the company, Johnson won his first of many titles, the WWE Intercontinental Championship, from Hunter Hearst Helmsley.

Dwayne Johnson Gives Birth To The Rock

Dwayne Johnson’s run as Rocky Maivia was short-lived once it became clear that fans were beginning to embrace edgier, more ruthless characters. The Rock first debuted as a member of The Nation of Domination, but it wasn’t long before Johnson’s oozing charisma made him one of the most popular wrestlers in the sport. With a raised eyebrow, a tendency to speak in the third person, and an entire Rolodex of catchphrases (“Can you smell what The Rock is cooking?,” “Lay the smackdown on your candy a**,” etc), Johnson feuded with some of the sport’s biggest names -- Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mankind, Chris Jericho -- on his way to seven championship belts, two intercontinental championship belts, and five tag-team belts. Despite his superior wrestling skills, Johnson became better known for his work outside the ring. His interviews and promos were among the most electrifying in the sport, and it was only a matter of time before Hollywood came calling.

Dwayne Johnson Becomes a Movie Star

After killing it as host of Saturday Night Live, Hollywood studios became convinced that audiences would accept Dwayne Johnson outside of the ring and began offering him roles on film and television. His film debut was in the CGI bonanza The Mummy Returns, where he appeared briefly as the Scorpion King. But Johnson’s performance was so well-received that the studio cast him as the titular lead in The Scorpion King, his first starring role. After the film earned over $165 million at the box office, Johnson quit wrestling permanently to focus on his film career, and with that, a new action film star was born.

Dwayne Johnson Struggles With His New Career

The problem with scoring a hit with your first starring role is that every subsequent effort now has something to live up to. Though they were by no means failures, the box office tallies of Dwayne Johnson’s next two efforts -- The Rundown and Walking Tall -- seemed paltry in comparison to his debut. And when you’re an action-film star, critical acclaim and awards consideration mean squat. It’s all about the buck. Though he scored points for trying to reinvent himself as a gay bodyguard in the comedy Be Cool, Johnson’s next film was a disaster of epic proportions and nearly sunk his career. That film was Doom, an adaptation of the eponymous iconic video game. The film was shot for $60 million, and when all was said and done, failed to break even. Ouch.

Dwayne Johnson Reinvents Himself

With his career sinking fast, Dwayne Johnson knew he needed to try something different. Having shown his comedic chops as host of Saturday Night Live and in Be Cool, Johnson has focused more on tickling people’s funny bones than crushing people’s collar bones. Since the debacle that was Doom, Johnson has appeared in only one straight-up action film, 2010’s vigilante thriller Faster. The rest have been a combination of comedies (Get Smart, The Other Guys) and family films (The Game Plan, Race To Witch Mountain, Tooth Fairy). It looks like Johnson has found his comfort zone in action-oriented family films, as he gets set to release Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, but not before returning to the genre that made him a star. This summer, Johnson will team up with fellow next-gen action star Vin Diesel in Fast Five, where he plays an elite special agent assigned to track down Diesel and his crew.

Dwayne Johnson Returns To The WWE

On April 3, 2011, The Rock made his first appearance in a WWE ring in seven years at WrestleMania 27 as a guest host. After butting heads with John Cena and the Miz over his commitment to wrestling, having left it behind for his film career, The Rock challenged John Cena to a match at next year's event -- the first time a match has been made official for WrestleMania a year in advance.